PeerCentered is a space for peer writing tutors/consultants or anyone interested in collaborative learning in writing centers to blog with their colleagues from around the world. Bloggers here will share their ideas, experiences, or insight.

Pages

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Multiple Appointments on the Same Assignment

One of the great aspects of the writing center is that students can make multiple appointments, even if said appointments concern the same assignment. It is truly an opportunity for the student to become aware of his/her writing process and to improve upon it. The
question is how to successfully help the student so that the appointment
remains productive rather than monotonous.Despite working on the same assignment, it is important to consider how
to help the student progress with his/her writing as he/she moves forward. The tutor
can begin a repeated assignment session by taking some time to discuss what
they worked on during the last appointment. This can include discussing what
the assignment was, what the student had trouble with previously, and what the
tutor and student worked on last time. This will provide a foundation for how
the session can be structured in order to ensure it continues to benefit the
student. It is important that the tutor think carefully about how to approach
the second session so that the student receives additional information rather
than a reiteration of their previous session.

By discussing what the student
worked on during their previous appointment and what they have worked on since
the last appointment, it will be easier for the tutor to perceive lapses within
the student’s progress. If the student has worked on improving the aspects the
tutor and student discussed last time, this can be an opportunity to discuss
whether the student feels he/she successfully improved. This will help the
student reflect upon his/her writing. For example, a tutor can ask the student if
the reason he/she came in for his/her first appointment is still a problem and
where he/she would like to improve in the future. Recognizing the strengths and
weaknesses of one’s work demonstrates competence as a writer. By developing
awareness of his/her writing process, the student can understand what steps
he/she needs to take in order to complete an assignment.

If the student feels he/she has
improved, the tutor can ask what else the student would like to work on. This
can include building off of the advice given by the previous tutor or
addressing an issue that has been overlooked. At this time, the advice from the
previous session can be critiqued by the current tutor and the tutor will have
an opportunity to provide his/her own personal input. Additionally, if another
issue has arisen, it should be viewed as an opportunity to develop a plan that
will lead to the resolution of this problem.

Conversely, if the student feels
he/she has not improved, it is important to consider why. In this instance
reviewing the assignment again and using visual aids such as charts and
diagrams can come in handy, as well as evaluating the assignment from a new
perspective. These approaches combined with recommendations to further the
student’s writing abilities will lead to an advancement in his/her writing
career.

1 comment:

I love this article because I am an advocate for having the same tutor for a single area of focus, for as long as possible; I believe students can benefit so much from working with the same students over the course of a semester, for example, because you truly get to see the students grow, analyze their strengths and weaknesses and help them realize them as well, among other things. It just makes the entire experience more personalized!

How to join PeerCentered

Search PeerCentered

Loading...

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in PeerCentered and in comments are the author's alone, and do not reflect the opinions of any other PeerCentered bloggers or any employer thereof. PeerCentered is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by its bloggers or commentators.